Tsunami fears abate after Indian Ocean quake rocks Indonesia

Michael Bachelard

A MASSIVE earthquake yesterday struck beneath the ocean 346 kilometres south-west of the Indonesian province of Aceh, generating tsunami warnings for as far away as India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Thailand, but no big wave.

The quake hit at 3.38pm local time (6.38pm AEST) and registered 8.7. It was followed by several aftershocks including one two hours later with a magnitude of 8.3.

Late yesterday the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre lifted the tsunami warning for the entire Indian Ocean rim.

On the streets of Banda Aceh, which is still recovering from the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami, the violent movement caused panic and mass attempts to evacuate.

People in Banda Aceh run shortly after a powerful earthquake hit western coast of Sumatra, prompting an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert. Photo: AFP

While a tsunami was generated, it was barely noticed. Reports late yesterday showed a wave of 0.8 metres had reached the town of Meulaboh, on the south-west coast of Aceh.

Scientists said the earthquake was big enough to cause a massive tsunami, but it differed from the 2004 event because it moved from side to side rather than thrusting upwards, so it did not displace as much water.

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A tsunami watch was issued immediately for most of the Indian Ocean rim. People near the coast in six Thai provinces were ordered to higher ground and the Indian port in Chennai was closed as India issued a tsunami warning for waves of up to six metres.

In Banda Aceh, where 170,000 people died in the 2004 tsunami, buildings shook and power poles swayed.

Tourists evacuate to higher ground at Krabi in Thailand in this picture, posted on Twitter. Photo: Kristen Mildren

Residents reacted immediately, leaving their homes, queueing at petrol stations and heading for high ground. ''People are in a panic, and there are traffic jams everywhere in Banda Aceh,'' local Metro TV reported.

A spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said: ''The quake was felt very strongly. Electricity is down, there's traffic jams to access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere.'' However, the agency reported no significant building damage in Banda Aceh city.

Panic ... Acehnese women hug each other and pray shortly after the earthquake struck. Photo: AFP

Professor James Goff, director of the Australia-Pacific Tsunami Research Centre and Natural Hazards Research Laboratory, said the earthquake appeared to be a ''strike-slip fault, which means that it is unlikely to generate a large tsunami''.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was on alert to help Australians in the region.

I was here for the Boxing Day tsunami, and this isn’t the precursor to a tsunami. Guaranteed. Ocean is calm, normal low tide.

Radio 3AW senior producer Justin Smith is in Phuket holidaying with his family and was among the tourists caught up in the panic.

Mr Smith said he was on the beach when locals started running, and his family followed their lead.

‘‘We weren’t sure what was happening and then it was mad panic through the resort,’’ Mr Smith told the radio station.

‘‘People [were] trying to get through, not really knowing what would be high enough, whether they could just go up one level or whether they could go up two or three or just run to the hills. And run to the hills we did, because we followed the locals.’'

Juliet Burnett, a senior artist with The Australian Ballet based in Melbourne, tweeted that her family were caught up in the drama in Indonesia.

‘‘Still praying for my other homeland, Indonesia. Grateful that my family in Java are safe. #tsunami #sumatra,’’ she tweeted.

Melbourne man Kristian tweeted that his family were forced to evacuate their hotel when the tsunami alert was issued.

‘‘Family and friends in Thailand are at higher ground, hope this tsunami passes by gently,’’ he wrote last night.He later said his family were able to return to their hotels when the tsunami warning was lifted.

One local in Phuket who survived the Boxing Day tsunami, Woody Leonhard, tweeted that yesterday’s ocean conditions were completely different to the lead-up to the 2004 tragedy.

‘‘I was here for the Boxing Day tsunami, and this isn’t the precursor to a tsunami. Guaranteed. Ocean is calm, normal low tide,’’ he tweeted.

‘‘There is no wave coming - but there is a sliver of sunshine on the horizon. I’m at my house in Patong, which has a full view of Patong Bay.

‘‘Yes, tourists are moving to higher ground. About a hundred of them are sitting outside my house in Patong, up on the hill.